Amicus Curiae Brief for the United States Supreme Court on Mental Health Issues Associated With "Physician-Assisted Suicide"

After providing background material related to the Supreme Court cases on “physician‐assisted suicide” (Washington v. Glucksberg, 1997, and Vacco v. Quill, 1997), this article presents the amicus curiae brief that was submitted to the United States Supreme Court by 2 national mental health organizat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of counseling and development 2002-03, Vol.80 (2), p.160-172
Main Authors: Werth Jr, James L., Gordon, Judith R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amicus curiae
Assisted suicide
Association (Psychology)
Committees
Counseling
Counselor Role
Counselors
Court Litigation
Decision Making
Defendants
Doctors
Ethical aspects
Evidence
Expert witnesses
Feedback
Formal organization
Health Personnel
Laws, regulations and rules
Medical personnel
Mental disorders
Mental Health
Mental health care
Mental health law
Mental health personnel
Mental Health Workers
Organizations (Groups)
Personal Autonomy
Physicians
Professional associations
Professionals
Psychiatric personnel
Psychologists
Role
Social Problems
Social Work
Social workers
Suicide
USA
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Summary:After providing background material related to the Supreme Court cases on “physician‐assisted suicide” (Washington v. Glucksberg, 1997, and Vacco v. Quill, 1997), this article presents the amicus curiae brief that was submitted to the United States Supreme Court by 2 national mental health organizations, a state psychological association, and an ad hoc coalition of mental health professionals. The document focuses on the role mental health professionals can play in discussions about hastened death. In particular, it is asserted that mental health professionals can assess capacity the decision‐making process, and the role of coercion in such decisions. The effect of the brief on the Supreme Court and within the organizations involved is also discussed.
ISSN:0748-9633
1556-6676
DOI:10.1002/j.1556-6678.2002.tb00179.x